Obscurity
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: Oneshot, slash. "It was different with Furihata. It always was." —Ten years, as it turns out, do make a difference. *light T*


**Obscurity**

A Kuroko no Basuke oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Kuroko no Basuke_ characters belong to Fujimaki Tadatoshi-sensei, not to me. I've written Akafuri as a background pairing for some unpublished fics, but this idea wouldn't leave me alone. Oh, and cover art by me, because AKAFURI. X3 Read, review, and enjoy!

- ^-^3

He didn't know what to say when the door opened.

Perhaps…perhaps a part of him hadn't expected the door to open. It wouldn't be the first time in his life such an event had happened—it was just that that happened so rarely to him. And even then, he'd been known to force a door or two open.

Still, he hadn't come here intending to breaking down the apartment door before him, but he also hadn't known what he'd do if it hadn't opened.

And, of course, he didn't know what to do now, now that it was open and he was staring back at a face he hadn't seen for almost ten years.

The other man spoke first. "…crap."

Akashi Seijuro blinked himself out of his stupor. "Sorry?" Surely he hadn't heard him correctly.

But apparently he _had_, for the other man sighed, stood up straight and slouched his shoulders, scratched his head with the hand not on the doorknob—ah, that hand wasn't wholly free, either, because a cigarette dangled limply between the index and middle digits—and tightened his grip on the door's handle. "You know…I honestly never expected you to show up. Or come looking for me. Ever."

"Furihata."

His name said simply made his left eye twitch, and he stared at Akashi some more. For a moment, he hesitated, as though he was going to point out something…but then he bit his lip, probably thinking better of it. "Akashi-kun. What do you want?"

Akashi tried a smile. "To be frank, even I'm not quite sure." His eyes dropped slowly to the concrete floor, trying not to take in too much of Furihata's image. Good grief, a faded yellow hoodie and worn, loose-fitting jeans that looked threadbare in places? He didn't want to know how Furihata could dress so sloppily…but he also wished he'd changed out of his own mocha-colored three-piece suit. He was certainly overdressed for this.

Furihata ran his cigarette-laden hand through his hair again—pausing to brush fallen ashes out of his same-as-ever brown locks—and gestured inside. "…all right. Get in here, before the neighbors notice and start talking."

Akashi followed Furihata inside. He had the strong impulse not to leave his shoes at the door, but the apartment was only shabby, not dirty. Besides, Furihata didn't wait for him or explain his own rules of decorum for his extremely humble abode. Instead, Furihata merely paused in the kitchenette to grab himself a beer.

He peeked at Akashi over the fridge door. "Want one?" He jiggled the can slightly.

"No, thank you."

Furihata shrugged. He led Akashi to the table in the living space (the futon was folded in the corner; clearly it never got put away). Furihata sat on the side in front of the window and faced the television in the corner, which he turned on. He then flipped through several channels before settling on a special wherein Korean pop stars were scared by their fellow bandmates. Perhaps, Akashi thought, Furihata would've found it funny another time, but the former Seirin High point guard didn't even crack a smile.

"Don't you want to know how I found out your address?" Akashi prompted.

Furihata grunted. "Kuroko."

Well, that was probably an easy question. "How have you been?"

For a full minute, Furihata sat so still, leaving his beer untouched and his cigarette smoldering, that Akashi almost wondered if he'd broken the man. But then Furihata turned to him with narrowed eyes. "_How have I been_? That's the best the great Akashi Seijuro can say?"

Akashi bit back a retort.

Again, Furihata seemed surprised by Akashi. But he still did not comment on the change in behavior. "Didn't Kuroko tell you?" he asked at last, giving up on the compromised cancer stick in his hand and pulling a second one from the pack beside the TV to light.

The redhead shook his head no.

"Hmph." Furihata took a long drag and rubbed the back of his neck. "I've…been better. I'm in construction. What, that's such a surprise?" he asked when Akashi's eyes widened.

"Truthfully, yes."

The other man shrugged again. "Well, not everyone can make lemonade when life hands them lemons." The question was in Furihata's eyes: _And you?_

"I work in my father's company."

Furihata snorted, and his brief smile wasn't gentle. "And how's that working out? Isn't that a demotion, going from emperor to prince?"

"I don't care for such distinctions anymore."

"Tell me another. Hell froze over, right?"

Akashi frowned, trying and failing not to get annoyed. "Why must you be so short with me?"

Furihata faltered, and Akashi could almost glimpse the jumpy boy he—no, which the Emperor—had first met. But obviously time had made Furihata weather-worn and stronger. "I'm not being short with you. I think—I think I just finally learned how to stand up to you. As far as I'm concerned, we're on the same level in this conversation."

"…fair enough." It made sense. Arguing about the little things wouldn't advance this meeting. "I didn't come here to hurt you," Rakuzan's old captain murmured.

"Well, you showing up out of nowhere doesn't hurt me. You can't hurt me anymore," Furihata elaborated, standing and cracking open the window. The smoke drifted outside.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Akashi confessed.

"Like I said—tell me another."

Akashi groaned internally. He had to get them off this topic. "How long have you been here?"

Furihata glanced back at him, and then answered once his attention was brought back to the early promise of a sunset outside. "Six years. No, wait, seven. I went to a regular college for a year out of high school, but then I figured I was better off learning a trade. A couple years of that, and then I found an in with one of the companies I interned for. That's the good thing about living in Tokyo—there's no more room to expand outward, so construction's always needed to build anything more on top of everything else." He laughed dryly. "I'm always in business."

"You've stayed in touch with Kuroko."

"A little." Furihata returned to the table for his drink. "I saw him more when he finished school and started working at that kindergarten, but ever since he started that daycare out of his and Kagami's house—who'd ever have thought they wouldn't have to worry about money, right? With the money Kagami made playing for the States, and some of the old money Kagami got from his dad's job—I don't really see them. Personally, I think they prefer it that way. They keep to themselves now that they've raised Nigou and can get by on the fumes of pseudo-parenthood through the daycare."

"He's sent me a few pictures over the years. They look happy."

"That they do."

"What about you? You…didn't want that?" As soon as he said it, Akashi knew what he'd stepped into.

Furihata laughed, but it was a cold sound this time. "Didn't want that? How the hell am I supposed to know?! I had to figure out what a healthy relationship was first, and that never really happened." He scooted closer to Akashi and poked him in the chest. "And that's all your fault."

Akashi grimaced.

"Back in high school, at first, you were the Emperor. Then we faced you in the Winter Cup, you snapped, your golden eye disappeared—and, by the way, what was with that? I mean, what the hell? Do you have a heterochromia switch or something?—and then you were this different Akashi-kun. You were kinder, and alien to me. Kuroko told us it was how you used to be—and Kise and Momoi-san said the same. But now…now you're neither of those Akashis. So what happened to _you_?"

Silence embraced the room then. Akashi had kept his eyes on his own folded hands on the table for a while now, but he knew he needed to look Furihata in the eye this time. He opened his mouth, and he had to force the sound out. "Father finally…passed away last year."

It sobered Furihata up. "Oh. I'm…I'm sorry…"

Akashi shook his head.

Neither of them said anything for a while. The special on the TV ended, and recaps played as the credits rolled. A prerecorded laugh track filled the tiny apartment.

Akashi dropped his gaze to Furihata's shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see through the window that the sun was nearly completely out of sight.

"I've been alone myself. For a few years now," Furihata mumbled, getting back to the previous topic to fill the silence. He scratched his head and turned his attention to the TV, glancing every now and then at Akashi. "After—after us, I was a mess. A friend picked up the pieces, and he was good to me, but it wouldn't work out. He was trying to be happy for the both of us." The brunet rapped his knuckles on the table; it was as though he meant to put his fingers somewhere, but they had no place to go and so remained fidgety. "I even had a couple of girlfriends before giving up. It's a good thing I'm in construction, though—the physical activity uses up a lot of my energy." His brow furrowed, and he truly looked like his younger self, his unsure self.

"I see." Akashi couldn't help the twitch of his lips. No, he shouldn't be smiling right now.

Furihata seemed all right with his expression, though. He glanced out the window and then at the digital clock on top of the television. "Look, I'm hungry, and I don't have much food here. There's a convenience store a couple of blocks away. Do you want to join me?"

Akashi nodded and stood after Furihata. The two men left the apartment, single-file, and took the flight of rickety steps down. Outside the old complex, Akashi trailed a step behind his companion as Furihata checked roads before they crossed and led Akashi to the store. It was a short walk, but their conversation had been paused for the duration of the interruption.

"Do you want anything?" Furihata asked him as they entered the store and headed back towards the refrigerated section.

"No, thank you."

"Well, at least you've still got your manners," Furihata mumbled, more to himself than to Akashi.

Akashi, for his part, stood close by and yet apart from Furihata all the same. It was…so strange, just going out with someone like this. Back in Teikou, that had been different, because he'd gone out with his teammates (hmm, maybe he could've called them friends…). But with Furihata? It was different with Furihata. It always was.

While Furihata remained contemplating his dinner, Akashi felt eyes on them, and he looked up and saw another familiar face. Said familiar face gaped at them a bit.

Akashi cleared his throat, and Furihata turned and saw him, too.

Furihata waved to Takao, who waved back and gave Furihata a funny look regarding Akashi. Furihata made an apologetic gesture, and Takao nodded.

"Kazunari—" He didn't see them and they didn't see him, but that voice assuredly belonged to Midorima.

"Ah, coming, Shin-chan!"

Then Takao disappeared up the aisle.

"Agh, I'll have to explain to Takao later," Furihata grumbled as he finally selected two things from the freezer and grabbed something else from a nearby shelf.

"I didn't realize…"

"Yeah, well, Takao's weird. He wants to be everyone's friend." Furihata smiled genuinely. "But he's a cool guy."

"He and Midorima—"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. They're still together. They live locally, actually." They went up to the register to pay, but they were now the only customers in the store. Receipt and bag in hand, the twosome exited and began the trek back. "Midorima decided not to put his faith in his athletic talents, you know. He said they wouldn't take him far, and if you bring it up to him now, he cites Kagami, who retired. Aomine's probably going to retire this year or the next, too, so Midorima wanted a profession that wouldn't make him worry or want for anything. So Takao got a place while Midorima was in med school, and they both took classes, but Takao now works at Coach's…ah, at Riko-san's dad's gym. Midorima stayed with Takao because it was 'cost-efficient,' but he never moved out." Furihata hummed a little to himself. "Not that Takao minds."

Akashi clenched his hands. "I haven't seen…Midorima, or any of them, in a long time."

"Yeah, well, that happens when you disappear off the face of the Earth, Akashi-kun." Yet despite his words, there was kindness in Furihata's tone. He kept peeking at Akashi behind him and to his right, as though expecting Akashi to disappear any second now.

And…as night had officially fallen, Akashi knew he didn't have much time left. He couldn't stay. It would make what little progress they'd achieved meaningless.

When they returned, their ascent was slow. By the time they hit the top step, they were moving slower than snails. Finally, Furihata sat on the top step and patted the opening to his right. Akashi sat beside him. It was a torment, trying to find comfort in the tiny space.

Akashi cleared his throat as Furihata double-checked the contents of his bag. "I have to apologize. I did and didn't mean to come here."

The brunet raised one eyebrow and stared at him.

"This was an impromptu detour on a business trip… I turned the trip down a month ago, but then—then Kuroko gave me your address, and I knew I had to come."

Furihata coughed in response. "…huh. He only just gave it to you? Why?"

"…I know you've picked up on it, my differences."

"You _are_ more even-tempered. Plus the right amount of familiar. You're not using honorifics anymore for those of us you know, but you're not using anyone's first name, either."

"It's how _I _speak. Not the Emperor, not the Teikou me. Just me."

"…it's kind of a relief." Furihata smiled a little for him, but the smile seemed brittle. "…what…what _happened_ to you?"

Akashi turned and focused on the night sky. "I believe Father's death…healed the crack in me. I found I could rule myself." He dropped his red eyes to his polished shoes beside Furihata's sneakers on the step two below them. "I mended. I knitted my two selves back together, becoming this one, whole person. The only one I spoke to from my past was Kuroko. I exchanged texts with him over the years, but we've interacted more since last year, and I've even spoken with him over the phone. I think… I think once Kuroko believed I had changed, he had a change of heart." He gave Furihata a wayward smile. "I used to ask after you, but he stayed tightlipped until my change."

Even in the darkness, Furihata's face clearly reddened. "Kuroko's a good friend."

The former captain nodded. "He is. And he might be my wisest friend, even considering Midorima. I…I actually _like_ myself now, and I agree with Kuroko. I believe I'm a better person, and I wanted to show you that." Akashi leaned on his left hand as he turned uncomfortably and faced Furihata. "When we split, you faded from sight, from my sight, and, frankly, I wished I could enjoy that obscurity for some time, too. For that reason, I enjoyed the tumult in the company after Father's death, because I was running around dealing with every little thing regarding taking over operations that I didn't have the time to dwell too long on what had gone wrong between us and how much I hated my old selves. And then, one day, I realized how I was thinking about my old selves as though I was not either one of them, but a third, an outsider. I could recall the Emperor's tyranny in ruling Rakuzan, and I could recall my Teikou self waking during the Winter Cup final, but…while I had those sensations, I realized they were all mine and yet all belonged in my past. I suppose I found myself, my true self."

Furihata frowned, but Akashi didn't think the brunet would run away. He had stayed and heard Akashi out, and the longer they sat, staring at each other, the more Furihata's old, Chihuahua-like traits emerged, until he trembled slightly and twisted his mouth around, unsure whether to smile or to grimace.

A soft wind blew up the stairs and under the awning above the apartment doors. The plastic convenience store bag rustled, and Akashi's attention broke. Even though Furihata had bought little food, they probably should've headed inside by now, put things in the fridge. It was a waste of money if they stayed outside any longer.

But Furihata wouldn't look away. He furrowed his brow and fumbled in his jeans pockets for a cigarette and his lighter. With the stick lit, he took two drags and then heaved a large and heavy sigh. But still he wouldn't look away. And obviously he had forgotten about the food, because he covered Akashi's hand with his, said "Screw it," and kissed Akashi.

The only bad part was that it was short and yet moved in slow motion. When Furihata pulled away, Akashi sat rigidly with a stunned expression.

Furihata was quite surprised, too, and he brought his cigarette back to his lips shakily. "Well…" He coughed, and his eyes darted all around—from his hand on Akashi's, to their feet on the stairs, to the stars in the night sky, to the hand railing on his left. "…I guess I wanna see if I like this Akashi, too. But! Maybe I'll call the shots this time?" Timid, scared, and perhaps a little hopeful and expectant, Furihata's brown eyes finally rested again on Akashi's crimson ones.

Akashi smiled. Even by moonlight…he noted the nicotine tint to Furihata's teeth, he could taste the ash in Furihata's breath, and he could burn the image of Furihata's sloppy sweatshirt and paint-spotted jeans into his brain—and he loved it all. "I'll have to schedule more Tokyo business trips, then."

- ^-^3

**8D YES. I will go down with this ship… -w- So much ran through my mind for this fic—I mean, I had the cover image painted so clearly in my mind, and Beach Season's "Evenings" struck me as a very Akafuri song, so I kept listening to it… Hopefully, Akashi will be all right someday, and Furihata really won't have to worry about split personalities, 'cuz let's be honest—Furi fell for the Emperor and was kinda scared when the change happened. So I think mending them, blending them into one Akashi is the only way to go. I like the mentions of Kagakuro and Takamido, though, because I kind of like that support system for Furi, I guess…? (Besides loving those ships.) And I had it in mind that Furi's "friendly" stint was with Kawahara, who later found true love with Fukuda…but I didn't see the need to go into detail, and there are enough gay basketball players in this fic already. ;P Also, SEME!FURI. I enjoy that, hence him initiating the kiss. XD Rather, Furihata Kouki in general. That cutie. :3 So this rambling author's note comes to a close, with the promise of more Akafuri fics and KnB fics in general (check out my others if you enjoyed this!), and the last note about the TV special: I had a specific one in mind, where Daesung (known also as D-Lite in Japan) of BIGBANG went into this horror house thing and screamed like a little girl at everything. It was HILARIOUS, and I just wanted to huggle Daesung for being such a dorky cutie. XDD *ahem***

**So thanks for reading, and **_**please**_** review! Perhaps Akafuri can enjoy the goodness of obscurity together now… -w-**

**-mew-tsubaki :D**


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